Death notifications irk CNAs

Many certified nursing assistants report they learn about residents' deaths in negative ways, a new U.S.-German investigation has found.

Researchers interviewed 140 nursing home CNAs.

“Study findings suggest that more mindful approaches to the transitions related to resident deaths would be valued by CNAs and could improve their work experience,” the authors wrote.

The workers indicated that the “most positive” way to learn about a resident death was to be contacted prior to arriving for a shift. The “most negative” experience was walking into a room to find it empty or with a new resident in the bed. The CNAs also expressed negative feelings related to how quickly facilities filled beds that became available after a death, the study authors noted.